$200M hydroponics facilities for Linden, Essequibo Coast – Pres Ali announces

Government will be building out two new hydroponics facilities in the near future as it pursues a robust agricultural agenda – earmarked for Linden and Essequibo to the tune of $200 million each.
As he engaged residents during the Essequibo Expo on Friday evening, President Irfaan Ali announced that this agriculture innovation project for Essequibo will provide employment for scores of youths.
The President divulged, “We are opening of tens of thousands of acres of lands. We are going to spend in excess of $200 million on an agriculture innovation entrepreneurship project in which we will build a world-class hydroponics facility here and 100 of your young people will be the owners.”
Then during his visit to Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) on Saturday, the Head of State noted of a similar project to be undertaken in Linden.
“Very soon, we will be investing $200M in Region 10 to support your own hydroponics facility. Development is coming to every corner, every crack, every valley because that is what we’re about. We’re about transforming things for every single category of Guyanese people. One Guyana is about all of Guyana.”
Under the innovative entrepreneurship programme for agriculture, Ali contended that least 35 per cent of new farms and agro-businesses must benefit women and youths.

Over the week, it was reported that production at the hydroponics facility of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara has been overwhelming for 2023 thus far.
The Head of State had visited the facility on Thursday where harvest for 2023 included two tonnes of chili peppers, two tonnes of hot peppers, 50,000 heads of lettuce, one tonne of carrots, and 2.4 tonnes of cauliflower. The majority of this produce is used to supply hotels, and excess produce is sold to contiguous communities or agro-processed, thus there is never a waste of food grown.
There are 25,000 plants in the hydroponics nursery, and this capacity will reach 100,000 within the next two weeks. These plants include mint, celery, parsley, pak choi, cucumber, kale, basil, chives and thyme, among others. The hydroponics nursery is operated on 10 acres of land, and shade houses measuring 90 feet by 40 feet are used. Using traditional methods, production would require a larger area of land, estimated at 30 acres.
At that time, the President had signalled intentions of building out additional hydroponics facilities across the country to meet the needs of not just Guyana but the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
Hydroponics is one of the modern technologies being embraced by the Government as it seeks to support Caricom’s vision of slashing the food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.
Last year, the Agriculture Ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Israeli company KARLICO INC, making way for the development of a massive hydroponics project. With an estimated investment of US$15,750,000, the project is set to involve a three-phase hydroponic production system based on nutrient film techniques and soilless production systems designed for the production of fresh herbs, lettuce and other leafy vegetables, as well as other high-value crops.
First phase of the project was the setting up of a 2000-square-metre, state-of-the-art hydroponic system which would include a cold room, packaging facilities, harvesting equipment, irrigation controllers, fertiliser mixers, water recycling system, and emergency water storage, among other things.
Phase two would see the construction and installation of an advanced greenhouse system, while phase three would involve the construction of a regional distribution centre where a variety of agricultural and food products would be collected, processed, packaged, and delivered to both local and international markets, meeting all of the necessary USDA and European Food Safety Authority standards and regulations.
Vision 25 by 2025 was conceptualised by President Ali for a 25 per cent reduction in the Region’s food import bill by the year 2025. Owing to the Region’s dependency on imported foods, it faces hardships when disruptions occur.
As of 2022, the Region achieved 57 per cent of the production target towards reducing the food import bill. Over the next two years, more than 1.4 metric tonnes of commodities must be produced to achieve this target. (G12)